Before heading to the hall to show off our items, there was only one more item our group needed to get.

"Yo, Chabashira-sensei."

I headed back to the connecting hallway by myself and called out to my homeroom teacher.

"Takanori-san...? Is something wrong?"

"The last item our group needs to find is a teacher. Mind if I bring you to the hall?"

"Oh... sure, that's fine."

Chabashira-sensei looked hesitant at first, but after grasping the reason why I chose her, she accepted. We crossed over to the boy's side where Matsushita and Machida were waiting for us. Standing behind them was Nora, holding the majority of our stuff.

"Alright, I've got a teacher. Let's go, shall we?"

"About time we completed this damn hunt."

Machida was first to head off to the hall. Me, Matsushita, and Nora followed. Chabashira-sensei surveilled the four of us.

"I wouldn't have imagined you four to be together."

As she was on the girl's side, Chabashira-sensei was unaware of how the boy's groups were formed, and mistakenly assumed we were in the same group.

"We aren't. That guy isn't part of our group."

Machida pointed at Nora. Chabashira-sensei glanced at him.

"You aren't, Nora-san?"

"N-no... I'm part of a different group."

"Why are you with these three then?"

"That... I-I can't tell you. S-sorry, sensei..."

Chabashira-sensei shifted her gaze towards me.

"...you'll see soon enough. As for the other four, they're off somewhere else."

Machida, reaching the hall before all of us, ceremoniously kicked open the double doors with a large smirk on his face. However, that suave confidence dissipated the moment we saw two groups here before us.

Shigeru's group and Shimada's group.

However, for some unknown reason, there was a confrontation between the leaders of these two groups. Standing on each side were each of their respective members, minus Kawaguchi since Shimada ruthlessly kicked him in the face earlier.

You could clearly tell the difference in leadership style based on how the items were divvied up in the group as well. Shigeru's group spread out all the items, having each member hold one or two of them to lessen the burden.

Meanwhile, Shimada didn't let his group members touch the items at all, instead carrying everything by himself and using his own body as a vessel for everything. It was definitive proof he was the one in charge.

"...does this mean we're late?" Matsushita said.

"At best, only for 1st and 2nd place. 3rd place is still up for grabs, and it looks like we'll be the ones to take it." I said.

"Oi, what are you two doing? If you're done verifying your items, let us through."

Machida, annoyed by Shigeru's and Shimada's groups blocking our path, threatened them to get out of the way. 

"Sorry, but neither of us have." Shigeru said.

It seems the opportunity for 1st and 2nd place was still open after all. Whatever they were fighting over, it stopped both groups from claiming victory over the other, and gave us a chance to sneak into 1st place.

"Huh? What are you two doing then, pissing about in the middle of the hall?"

"Shimada-san's insisting his group came here first when it was clearly our group!" Shigeru said.

"I was here before all of you." Shimada said.

So they were fighting over who came here first, and thus who had the rights to show their items first too.

"So what? Your other six group members weren't here when all seven of us arrived. In fact, one of them is still missing even now!"

"Nothing in the rules states the whole group needs to be present when handing in the items. Look, even Yuuto's group is doing it."

Shimada pointed at me, Matsushita, and Machida. It was quite ironic he was citing us as an example, when earlier it was his fault we lost up to four of our members.

"If that's the case, why didn't you hand in your items right then and there?"

"I didn't feel like it."

"Lame excuse. If you actually cared about winning this challenge, you would've handed it in while you had the chance. The fact you didn't means we deserve to hand in our items before you."

"Nobody deserves anything in this world. If you want something, get it with your own two hands."

"Don't start spouting philosophical crap at me when you've ran out of a good argument."

Shigeru scoffed at Shimada's words and stepped forward, heading to Hiden-sensei to show the items his group found. As he did, Shimada stuck out his foot at the last second, causing Shigeru to trip over it and fall face first into the floor.

"Oi! You can't do that!"

"Do what?"

Shimada, who Shigeru accused of foul play in front of all the teachers, shrugged his shoulders like he did nothing wrong.

"Trip me over like that! It's against the rules!"

"Do you have any proof?"

"Everyone in this hall watching us clearly saw you trip me over! Isn't that right, you guys?!"

Shigeru called out to the teachers for verification, but they seemed a bit baffled.

"Sorry, Shigeru-san, but... I didn't see Shimada-san trip you over." Ike-sensei said.

"I thought you fell over because you were nervous." Hiryuu-sensei said.

"...what?"

The reason why no one noticed was obvious. Like the time he chopped Shigeru in the abdomen, Shimada's movements were so fast, it was practically invisible to the human eye. You could easily miss it if you weren't paying close attention.

"Y-you guys saw it, right?"

Shigeru turned to his group members, who looked similarly confused. The only one who were in support of him was Masamoto. It was likely he managed to catch it when no one else did.

"What about you guys? Takanori-san, Machida-san, Matsushita-san!"

He was really getting desperate if he was turning to us. Matsushita shook his head while Machida shrugged. I decided to stay quiet.

"Funny, only one person believes you. You sure you didn't trip on purpose to try and make me look like a bad guy?"

Shimada grinned, lurching over the fallen Shigeru.

"I'm not that unscrupulous, nor would I make a bet that stupid."

"You're right. If it were you, you'd bet on something even more stupid than falling over to accuse me of "violence"."

"Those are vague words with no real meaning. If you want to prove it, give me a concrete example."

"Oh, I don't know. Whether or not you could pass a raw egg as a boiled one would be something you'd definitely do."

Shigeru's face turned blue as Shimada casually suggested that. The person holding the egg in their group, Shibata, moved it close to his chest.

"You looked scared. What's that face for? Oi, don't tell me you actually did that... you're not actually that dumb, are you?"

As Shimada spat insult after insult, he crouched lower and lower to get up in Shigeru's begrimed face.

"...o-of course not. Don't be ridiculous."

Shigeru, still resisting the urge to fold in front of Shimada, shooed him away and tried to get up. Seeing this, Shimada held out his hand for support.

"Here, let me help you."

Shigeru sighed as he reluctantly grabbed onto Shimada's hand to get up quicker. However, as Shimada pulled him up, before he could get back onto his feet fully, he let go of Shigeru's hand, causing him to stumble off balance and drop to the floor again.

"Oops! This time, I really did make a mistake. I'm sorry, everyone!"

While it was a clear act of foul play, none of us could do anything about it. It didn't go far enough to constitute "violence", since Shimada played it off as an accident, and everyone perceived it as the first thing Shimada did to Shigeru.

"You're lucky you weren't holding the egg."

Shimada taunted Shigeru once more while he was face down on the ground, prompting Yamaguchi to step forward with a terrifying expression.

"Your head will become an egg next if you keep playing around, asshole."

Yamaguchi, who was taller than the already tall Shimada, stared down at him with a raunchy grin and tapered eyes.

"Be my guest and go right ahead."

"With pleasure!"

Yamaguchi cackled, raising a fist and swinging it down at Shimada.

"Yamaguchi-san, no!"

Shigeru, panicked about his group possibly being eliminated, tried scrambling to his feet to stop him.

"Everyone's here sick with your crap, so if putting you in your place'll get you to stop acting so obnoxious, I don't give a damn if we lose!"

At first, I thought this would be bad for Yamaguchi, since Shimada would absolutely shred him in a fight, but then I realised this was the reaction Shimada was trying to bait the entire time.

The reason he didn't check with the teachers immediately wasn't because he "didn't want to". He wanted to eliminate one of the groups by riling them up through tense conflict, and pushing them first to resort to violence.

It was such a Shimada way of doing things... but I understand why he did this on the first challenge. The stakes were low, and he wanted to see early on what would happen if a group gets eliminated, since the rules didn't state clearly the consequences.

"A-alright, you guys can go present first! We'll be content with going second, so Yamaguchi-san, you don't have to hit him!"

Shigeru, realising he wouldn't make it in time, folded to Shimada's demands to end their argument before Yamaguchi could really break a rule. Between losing 1st place and getting their group eliminated, it was obvious which option was better to take.

However, Yamaguchi ignored his words, and while Shimada acknowledged them, he wasn't kind enough to heed them. Instead, he continued to stand there, gleefully ready to take the hit and eliminate their group from the challenge.

Moments from when the punch connected to Shimada's face, a hand firmly grabbed Yamaguchi's wrist to lock it in place. The excitement in Shimada's eyes faded as he saw who intervened.

It was Ayano, the other member of D Class on Shigeru's group.

"Ayano, the hell do think you're doing? I was going to teach this psychopath a lesson."

"And flush all our hard work down the drain? This is a surefire way to make everyone put their "blame vote" on you, Yamaguchi-san."

"I don't care, they can vote me all the want. I hate this class anyways. If it means I get to be with my real friends, I don't mind getting sent down to E Class."

Ayano, who also disliked being in our class, had nothing else to say to Yamaguchi. If anything, he probably understood where he was coming from the most. He let go of Yamaguchi's wrist.

"...just don't cause any trouble."

"Wasn't planning to."

Meanwhile, Masamoto was helping Shigeru up from the floor.

"M-Masamoto-san... thanks."

"Save it for later. Are you okay? It's the third time he's thrashed you around today."

"I think I'll be fine. My head feels a little woozy though..."

"That inconsiderate and irresponsible asshole... after we submit the items, let's get you to the nurse's office."

Shimada, overhearing Masamoto's insult, snickered.

"Man, you sure have some strong opinions on me."

"I've never liked you and never will."

"Liking and cooperating are two different things though. Usually, cooperating is the better option of the two."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm saying that you should've teamed up with me, rather than take a liking to Zenkichi's idea, since his group will lose."

"The special exam's barely started and you're predicting nonsense. Your group is practically filled with weaklings, which makes our group way stronger than yours."

"It doesn't make a difference. Strong, weak, I'll still control them all the same. As long as they do as I say, our group will win."

"Elaborate on that."

"Isn't it obvious?"

Shimada grinned, making a crushing motion with his fist.

"Violence is the solution."

Masamoto's eyes widened.

"...you! Have you been controlling your group through violence?!"

"Hell yeah."

Masamoto, someone who hated bullies above all else, became enraged with passion when Shimada casually admitted to that. We saw it first hand when he mercilessly kicked Kawaguchi in the face, knocking him out.

Disobeying Shimada's orders would result in excruciating pain. That must have been how he got everyone to arm themselves against our group, and why Yamamoto and Kawaguchi looked so reluctant to fight.

"That's against the rules! You should be disqualified!"

"Huh? There's no rule stating violence isn't allowed between group members though."

"What? But violence is banned in this challenge!"

"Read the fine print. Violence is banned between groups. Not between members inside a group."

"No way... Hiden-sensei, this is a lie, isn't it? A bluff! There's no way that sort of rule is allowed to exist!"

"Unfortunately, Shinhon-kun... Ekirei-kun is right about this one. Violence between members in a group is perfectly legal!"

"...what?"

Masamoto gasped. For some reason, Matsushita immediately looked at me. Oi, don't get any weird ideas and start punching me...

"Hang on, this isn't fair at all. In anything, this is a paradox of the rules! Why is violence allowed on one side, when on the other, it isn't allowed?"

"Shinhon-kun, I assume you know what a dictatorship is, yes?"

"Of course I do..."

"Then you should understand that the leader of a dictatorship controls their people through violence and force. We acknowledge that being stronger than everyone else is a legitimate method of rule and a genuine way to foster cooperation in a group. That's why we are allowing it in this special exam."

"You're kidding... such a barbaric and unethical form of rule... and you guys are going to accept that?"

"This is the real world. We don't live in a utopia. Things like this will, can, and still happen."

Learning a harsh truth, Masamoto lowered his head and grit his teeth. Shimada, getting bored of all this, walked past Masamoto and went up to Hiden-sensei.

"Here. I got everything."

With no one left to stop him, Shimada dumped all nine items on the table and brought up the teacher they found, Odagiri-sensei, for the other teachers to examine. After a cursory check, Hiden-sensei nodded, making Hiryuu-sensei scribble on his tablet.

"Congratulations, Ekirei-kun! Your group is the first to complete the scavenger hunt! Please, take these items and bring them back to their respective owners."

So we do have to return the items ourselves, huh? In some ways, arriving after these two was a blessing in disguise. I didn't have to argue so hard back there after all...

"You guys deal with that. I'm taking a nap."

Shimada yawned, pawning off this responsibility to the rest of his group. They went to clean up the mess he left on the table and left the hall.

Next up, Shigeru's group went to present. Likewise, they placed everything on the table and brought up the teacher they found, Anjou-sensei.

"Hmm..."

Even though everything was there, Hiden-sensei narrowed his eyes when he picked up the egg. Matsushita turned to me with a perplexed expression.

"Wait... I'm confused. During the entire time we were in the kitchen, we never traded with Shigeru-san's group once... how did they get an egg?"

There was a look of realisation on Machida's face. He clenched his teeth.

"...they must've been the group that took an egg before us."

"What?!"

Indeed, in one of those cartons, an egg was missing. Shigeru laughed, looking at us over his shoulder.

"Yeah, that's right. The moment I saw a boiled egg on the list, I asked Ayano-san to grab one from the kitchen."

So the one who quietly left without anyone noticing was Ayano? In hindsight, it was fitting considering considering how silent he is during class as well... perhaps I underestimated how stealthy he was.

"But the gap of time between us getting the letter and entering the kitchen was only seven minutes... there's no way can do all that without being noticed by us somewhere along the way." Machida said.

"Plus, when we entered the kitchen, there wasn't any sign of anyone boiling anything. All the pots and pans were in the cupboard." Matsushita said.

"There's two simple explanations for that. Firstly, my trip to the kitchen only took three minutes. Secondly, I never boiled an egg. I just took one from the fridge." Ayano said.

So that's why Ayano was so quick. Not only was he a naturally fast person, but he also didn't mess around boiling an egg, since that could be done later.

Shigeru must've realised that "trading items" would be a huge factor in this scavenger hunt, so he made it a priority for the group to secure items which could be easily monopolised so they weren't slowed down by it. He really was as cunning as Machida...

Hiden-sensei hummed, shaking the egg lightly before tossing it up and down in the air. Then, he grinned mysteriously.

"Paradox-kun, do you mind if I crack open this egg?"

Shigeru raised an eyebrow before smirking.

"...go ahead, sensei."

"Here goes then!"

Hiden-sensei slammed the egg onto Shigeru's forehead. There was a loud crack, followed by gasps from the teachers.

"Oh my... this is surprising."

In Hiden-sensei's hand were two halves of an empty eggshell. Dripping down Shigeru's face was a runny, raw egg.

"Crap, we got found out..." Shibata muttered.

"I told you guys this wouldn't work." Masamoto sighed.

"Your egg isn't boiled, Paradox-kun. It seems your group... hasn't actually completed the challenge."

Hiden-sensei chuckled, handing Shigeru a towel to wipe his face. He anxiously grinned.

"...how did you know it was raw, sensei?"

"I was merely curious since I could feel the yolk swish around. It was also lighter than I anticipated."

"Heh... is that it?"

Shigeru threw down the towel and picked up all the items from the table. Without wasting any time, he turned round to his group with a determined expression.

"Alright everyone, our priority is to boil an egg! Hurry, so we can at least get 3rd place!"

In a rush to try and not fall behind, everyone dispersed, presumably to go to the kitchen. Unfortunately for them, there weren't any eggs left. Hiden-sensei had accidentally sabotaged their group by destroying one of the few remaining eggs here.

The best they could do was barter the egg off a group that was already finished, like Shimada's, or go over to the girl's side to get one from their kitchen. Whichever way their group chooses, it'll be too late.

Our group would take 2nd place, and Mitsuba's group would take 3rd place. Their shot for a podium position was now completely lost because Shigeru decided to take a gamble.

"Looks like we're up. You better not screw it up."

Machida glared at Nora before walking up to Hiden-sensei. Nora nodded, sticking close by me and Matsushita.

"...somehow, I feel really nervous." Matsushita said.

"Why?" I said.

"Your plan... will it really work?"

"You saw it with your own two eyes, didn't you? We won't have to use those extra precautions after all."

"...yeah, I guess. Maybe I'm worrying over nothing."

"You are."

I stepped forward, coming face to face with Hiden-sensei. Since this was my idea, those two left everything up to me.

"We've completed the challenge."

"Please go ahead and present your items, Yuu-kun."

I placed the azalea, boiled egg, dictionary, and Alice's underwear on the table. Then, I brought Chabashira-sensei forward and turned to Nora.

"Nora-san, the rest of the items please?"

Nora nodded and started taking off the items he was wearing. A watch, a left trainer, his Hengist (a rare Vanguard card), his pair of white socks, and his glasses.

"T-these... these are all mine..."

Hiden-sensei raised his eyebrows in surprise. Machida had a stern look on his face whereas Matsushita closed his eyes and looked away. For someone good at putting up a front, he was surprisingly bad at acting inconspicuous.

"How novel! You found someone with all these items and brought them over instead of collecting them for yourselves! As expected of someone like you, Yuu-kun."

Hiden-sensei then scoured through the rest of the items, checking them off. He then picked up the egg and shook it, tossing up and down like he did with Shigeru. Then, he placed it back down, satisfied it was boiled.

"Perfect. Congratulations Yuu-kun, your group is second to complete the scavenger hunt! Please, take these items and bring them back to their respective owners. Though, I suppose the respective owner of half of these items is already here."

"Thank you, Hiden-sensei."

Nora took the five items he put down and quickly put them back on. I picked up the other four items, and we made our way out of the hall.

"So, how'd it go? Was it a success? Did you bring back the items?!"

Waiting for us on the other side was Mitsuba's group, eager to see us. I gave a thumbs up, showing that we still had the items on us.

"We're clear."

"Yooooosha! We can really get fourth place after all!"

Mitsuba cheered, jumping up and down.

"Fourth? I'll do you one better. How does third place sound?"

"T-third?! Wait, is that really possible?! I saw there were two groups ahead of you guys!"

"Shigeru-san's group failed. They got exposed for using a raw egg, meaning we stole second place from right under noses."

"Takanori-kun..."

Mitsuba sniffled, launching himself at me.

"You're the best! You're the best, most ultimate friend someone could ever have! What would I ever do without you?!"

"Hey, what are you...?"

Mitsuba cried, clinging onto me. I tried shooing him away, but he was too overjoyed to let go.

"I-I think my heart's going to explode... I've never done something so risky in my life before..." Nora sighed, clutching his chest.

"It probably helped you're a quivering crybaby all the time. It covered up the fact you were a nervous wreck." Machida scoffed.

"You did good, my best friend. I'm proud of you!" Mikitaka slapped Nora's back.

"O-ow! Thanks, Mikitaka-san..."

Nora took off the watch, trainers, and took out Vanguard card, handing them over to Mitsuba. Mikitaka handed Nora back his original shoes. I gave Yukimura the azalea, dictionary, and boiled egg, but entrusted Mikitaka with Lughaid, the underwear, and my sunglasses. Matsushita took off his white socks and gave them to Tanaka while Machida gave Akihiro's left trainer to Albert.

"Did you guys manage to find a teacher?" I asked.

"Of course. In fact, we got the best teacher in GEN!" Mitsuba said.

"Greetings, my fellow kids."

Appearing before us was Mikazuchi-sensei, who lifted his bucket hat up to greet us.

"I'm not surprised... well, that's good then. I'll leave the rest to you."

"Heh, thanks! Without you guys, this wouldn't have been possible. You are seriously the best, Takanori-kun!"

"Don't celebrate just yet. Save it for after you succeed."

"Hey, why are you always such a buzzkill? Ah whatever, let's do this everyone! Third place is ours, woo!"

Mitsuba led his group, except Nora, inside the the hall. Matsushita breathed a sigh of relief.

"Looks like it'll end well, huh?"

"Yeah. We got 2nd place, so I guess we can't really complain..."

Somehow, Machida still looked frustrated at the results. He probably felt humiliated to have been beaten by Shimada, who was from the class he was trying to take down the most.

"T-thank you for helping our group out, Takanori-kun..."

Nora bowed deeply, expressing his gratitude. I shook my hand.

"It's nothing. If anything, we should be thanking your group to help get us get 2nd."

Chabashira-sensei, who had been watching all this unfold, chuckled a little to herself.

"No wonder it was such a tense atmosphere in the hall... was this your plan, Takanori-san?"

"...more or less. Do you want me to explain?"

"I'd love to hear it, but I have my post at the corridor to return back to. I've been missing long enough."

"It's fine, I'll just go to where you are. You two fine with collecting the items from those guys once we're done?"

"I mean, if you're okay with it... sure."

"By the way, Nora-san, could you be the one who take my sunglasses and card?"

"O-oh... un, that's okay."

"Thanks."

Me and Chabashira-sensei went back to the connecting corridor. After being in that humid and noisy hall for so long, it felt refreshing to be in such a cool and peaceful area.

"...don't you ever get hot in that suit?"

"I do."

"Then why continue wearing it?"

"I need to look professional for this job. And besides... I think wearing a summer dress is a bad idea."

My eyes fell on her prominently voluptuous chest.

"...I'm sorry so many boys stare at you like that."

"It's not your fault, so don't apologise. I'm nearly forty, so I'm kind of used to it by now... but honestly, if more boys were like you, this wouldn't be a problem at all."

Chabashira-sensei sighed. The troubles of a well endowed woman were certainly unique...

"Y-you're nearly forty?"

"I'm turning thirty-four this year."

"...I thought you were twenty-eight, sensei."

"Please, I don't look that young."

"I think you do."

Chabashira-sensei stiffened and looked away.

"Don't say such ridiculous things..."

"So sensei can make an embarrassed face too?"

"When you compliment me so suddenly like that, who wouldn't?"

"It's kind of cute."

"Takanori-san, stop at once."

Chabashira-sensei pouted, scolding me for my relentless teasing.

"You've become especially cheeky recently... I don't like it at all."

"Sorry. I got a bit too carried away there..."

"...it's fine. Tell me then, what was your plan?"

"Ah... well, I didn't really want to do it since it'd go against the spirit of the competition, but... there's one way for everyone to clear the scavenger hunt without actually fighting for the items."

"And that'd be?"

"We all share the items between ourselves and present it to Hiden-sensei. There are nine groups, so if we each found an item, we'd cover almost the entire list. By circulating them between ourselves, as well as finding a teacher to join us, it would be a surefire way for everyone to clear the exam. Of course, it would require massive "cooperation", but that's what this special exam is testing us. How well can we all get along with others?"

"You're certainly right about that. It's a reflection of real society, where a variety of different thoughts and feelings come and mix together. To be able to unite everyone like that would be an impressive skill."

"...but it's also just wishful thinking. The truth of the matter is, people can't ever truly get along. Even the closest of people have their disagreements."

My mind cast back to the time me and Yukina fell out without us realising it because we assumed each other's feelings, rather than properly asking each other about them.

"People can only get along if it benefits them in some way. This challenge provides that incentive through "clearing" it. We all have the common goal of doing it, so why not strive for it together? The issue is the "end results" of the special exam. It breaks the collective goal by adding an element of competition, dividing us on what should be a common matter."

It's that incentive to be better than everyone else which prevents people from working together. Deep down, we all like to feel superior to others - it's just a part of our ego.

"Humans are selfish creatures. If it means kicking down someone else to gain an advantage for ourselves, we'll do it. That's why that idealistic way of clearing the challenge is impossible. The groups would fight over who has the right to get first place. And they might also worry about any potential future penalties for coming in last. No one would be willing to sacrifice themselves unless there was a clear benefit for it."

"If that way of clearing the challenge is impossible in your eyes, why bring it up?"

OST: Youkoso Jitsuryoku Main Theme 2

"Because it forms the basis of my idea. Logistically speaking, it's also a giant hassle to convince sixty-two people to work together. It'd be a waste of time if everyone wasn't on board from the start. Knowing the personality types of the boys in our year, that idea would've never even seen the light of day."

I think the only person who could even possibly accomplish this is Ryouta, since he's the most respected boy in our year, if only because he's A Class's leader. However, even if he is a kind and benevolent person to everyone, he's still a divisive figure within the year group precisely because he's the face of the class we're all trying to defeat.

"So, the solution is to scale it back. Instead of taking a macro approach, it's better to take a micro approach, cooperating with only one other group to clear the challenge together. For me, the choice was obvious if I wanted to give D Class the best chance at winning in this special exam. We had to cooperate with the group made up of mostly D Class students - Mitsuba's group."

The placements of our groups at the end of this special exam would also be determined by our rankings throughout the week, not just in the final challenge. By securing these groups which I wanted to succeed with high rankings early on, it would give us a head start in securing podium positions later.

"It's easier to convince fourteen people to work together than sixty-two. Plus, their group has Nora-san, who had two of the missing items we were looking for. It was a perfect fit if you ask me. As for what we did... it was quite simple. We exploited the rules."

"I'm starting to think this is your speciality... both in this exam and the previous one, you were obsessing over understanding what could and couldn't be allowed to do."

"Maybe the school should start outlining them more clearly... or perhaps, they're left open ended and flexible on purpose?"

"I couldn't tell you. I'm not in charge of making the challenges."

"Whichever case, the vagueness of the scavenger hunt's rules meant we could tackle it in a multitude of ways. There were three main exploits. Firstly, the rules never stated how we had to present the items. That meant we could show it in any way we'd like, as long as they were valid. Since Nora-san was already wearing two of the items, it was just more convenient to bring him along with us, rather than ask to take them separately."

"So that explains why he was with your group... I'm guessing him wearing the watch and the trainers were also part of your plan? I didn't see him with either of those things in the morning."

"That's right. The watch is Machida-san's, and the shoes were Mitsuba-san's. Even though we can't use our own items, technically the owner during the moment of presentation was Nora-san. That's the second exploit - the rules never stated we couldn't transfer ownership of items. We can't use items that we own, but if we give ownership to someone outside the group, it suddenly becomes someone else's. That way, we can use it for the scavenger hunt. If there's one thing Machida-san hates more than Nora-san, it's losing. That's why convincing Machida-san to hand over his watch to Nora-san despite his hatred for him wasn't too hard."

"But what if you get found out? Even I realised that Nora-san didn't have those items on him originally... and if I was aware Machida-san had a watch, surely I'd notice if that were missing?"

"You only noticed that because you're Nora-san's homeroom teacher. Since we were presenting to teachers outside our own class, I felt confident they didn't so closely observe us, especially since we're in D Class. As for the missing watch... we could just explain it away as him giving it to someone else for the scavenger hunt. And if Nora-san gets found about not actually owning the watch and trainers, it wouldn't matter, since we could just say they're not our items to begin with. In fact, the main reason I wanted to bring Nora-san with us was for the third exploit. The rules never stated the teachers would be taking the items off from us once we're done."

Chabashira-sensei's eyes widened as she understood what the "trick" behind my plan was.

"In fact, it was heavily implied that we'd be the ones responsible for putting back the items. Two items in particular tipped me off. Firstly, it was the girl's underwear. It'd be weird for a male teacher to give a female student back such a sensitive item."

"As a teacher, I'd also be uncomfortable if I had to give a boy back their underwear..."

"Right? The other item was you, the teacher. There was no way they were going to confiscate the items if one of them was a whole person. It's practically impossible to do that, especially since you guys need to do your job at this outdoors school. It'd be absurd if they kept you in the hall just so another group can't "find" you. It wouldn't make any sense."

"I see... so then how did all these exploits lead you to your plan?"

"Our group would share the items we found with Mitsuba-san's group. In exchange for giving us the items we were missing, we'd give them all the items we found after our group was done clearing the challenge, letting them go into the hall and clear it straight after us."

This was how I gamed the challenge. For the items we borrowed off them, we substituted it with the ones we owned. Like me, Matsushita was also wearing white socks, and I didn't mind lending out my sunglasses if it was for a short period of time.

"So that's why you brought Nora-san with you into the hall. He was insurance."

"Yeah. There was no guarantee they wouldn't do it, so I came up with countermeasures in that scenario. Like how it'd be ridiculous to keep the teachers in the hall, it would also be ridiculous to keep Nora-san in the hall just for wearing the items we found. It'd be unfair for Mitsuba-san's group, since it'd put them at a disadvantage in numbers."

I knew the school operates on equality of opportunity because they gave Handa's group, the one with six people, an advantage in this challenge to offset the imbalance.

"Seeing as Nora-san was presenting these items as if he "owned" them, if the school really was in charge of handing back the items, it'd just be more efficient to let him go with them. There's no good reason to keep them from him, especially since one of them are his glasses."

Seeing as the challenge was all about finding things, with how poor Nora's eyesight is, it'd be the same as losing a group member if he wasn't allowed his glasses back.

"They're still with their original owner, so it's more convenient for the school that way. If that happened, we would just lie and say the rest of the items belong with him too."

"In other words... you'd pretend that these are the items that Mitsuba-san's group found?"

"Yeah. Again, nothing states we can't share our resources or work together to clear this challenge. If anything, it'd show a deeper understanding of what this special exam is trying to test us. The school doesn't have any way to verify whether this is true or not, so they won't have any other choice but to let him go with them. Essentially, Nora-san would be smuggling the items out of the hall in the case the teachers tried taking them."

In the end though, that wasn't necessary, since we saw Shimada's and Shigeru's groups leave with their items. It was at that point I was sure my plan to switch items would go through no matter what.

"...honestly, you can be terrifying sometimes. To think you'd so bend the rules in your favour this much. No regular person could come up with this."

"I know they wouldn't, which is why I held off from executing this plan until the very end. In the first place, I was only comfortable suggesting the idea to Matsushita-san and Machida-san. Because the other four were there, I didn't want to speak up."

"I did find it strange you were only with those two. What actually happened to the rest of your group?"

"Ikeda-san and Ryouta-san got injured, so Zyriot-san and Satou-san helped bring them to the infirmary, leaving everything to us. It was secretly a blessing in disguise for me though, since those guys wouldn't have agreed with my methods..."

"Why do you think that?"

"...their morals are just too high for it. In comparison, I knew Matsushita-san and Machida-san didn't mind getting their hands dirty. The fact I was left with those two was a stroke of good luck."

"I don't think the plan you're suggesting is that dirty, though... it's just sharing resources to complete the challenge more efficiently. If anything, I'd agree with what you said earlier. It shows you have a deeper understanding of the special exam's assessment by helping out another group which isn't your own. In that sense, it could also be seen as selfless."

"Is it truly selfless if I'm only helping someone else for my own benefit? In the end, I'm the one who's getting an advantage. I'm the one who's cheating the system. What I did went directly against the spirit of the challenge. Even Shimada-san, one of the most underhanded people in our year, did it properly. Machida-san too, he didn't suggest this outright when we first got the challenge."

I looked out of the window, faintly seeing myself in the glass's reflection.

"...I was the only one who thought of this."

Chabashira-sensei put a reassuring hand on my shoulder and squeezed it softly.

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Takanori-san. I'm sure you're not the only one who thought of that."

I lifted my head and looked up at Chabashira-sensei, who was smiling at me.

"The difference between you and them is you were the only one brave enough to pull the trigger when no one else was. That too, is a strength."

I don't think she'll ever understand the full extent of how much those words touched my heart. Even though it was a little bit of encouragement, it meant everything to me.

Especially to the me of the past.

"...thank you, sensei."

Can a heart that's dyed pitch black ever go back? I thought that to myself as I left the corridor.

As I turned round the corner, I saw the back of Ryouta in the distance, all by himself.